Now Pay Less If You Are Flying Without A Check-In Baggage

Flying will become lighter and a more relieved experience as Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is keen to give the green signal to domestic airlines to introduce lower fares for passengers who travel without check-in baggage, or hand baggage. Albeit, fliers who book tickets under the ‘zero baggage’ category but turn up with check-in baggage will be slapped with a fine.

In accordance with present scenario, private airlines allow a flier to carry up to 15 kgs of check-in baggage free of cost while state-run Air India allows 23 kgs. “Airlines are allowed to offer ‘no check-in baggage/hand baggage only fare scheme’ subject to the condition that the penalty to be imposed on a passenger who avails such schemes but turns up with baggage for check-in at the airline counter cannot exceed the amount of incentive offered compared to the lowest fare,” the aviation regulator has stated in its latest Air Transport Circular for unbundling services. Air Passengers Association of India (APAI) President Sudhakar Reddy told Mail Today, “This is a good move as it would benefit fliers and at the same time reduce fuel burn and pollution.”

Also, Reddy said that low-cost carriers are charging too much for check-in baggage above the 15-kg limit. He revealed the fact that as much as 25 per cent of fliers on domestic flights comprise the Indian Diaspora and non-resident Indians returning home with heavier baggage and belongings who use connecting domestic flights to reach their final destination .”They end up shelling out as much as Rs 7,000 for extra baggage on each ticket at the rate of Rs 250 per kg, which is a huge amount. They are also put to considerable inconvenience as they usually do not carry so much Indian currency,” Reddy stated.

The association would take up this issue also with the DGCA earnestly, he added. Low-cost carrier Spice Jet, which had first rolled out the ‘zero baggage’ scheme in June, said the decision is in concordance with the changing trends in the industry. “We welcome this customer and environment friendly move, which is in line with the changing trends in the industry,” SpiceJet’s Head of Administration and Accountable Manager G.P. Gupta said. Spice Jet moved a step ahead by also rolling out the scheme which offers an additional discount of Rs 200 to every passenger who booked a flight with only one handbag and no check-in baggage. The offer though came with a sting charging with a fee of Rs 500 for up to 10 kg and Rs 750 for up to 15 kg baggage for those who book tickets at discounted fares but later decided to carry check-in baggage with them.

In April, as part of the new policy for unbundling services, the DGCA had allowed airlines to charge customers for various facilities such as preferred seats, check-in baggage charges and use of lounges. In a circular later in July, which has now been superseded by the latest circular, the DGCA had said that check-in baggage charges (above 15 kg of free check-in baggage allowance) can also be charged separately as part of the unbundling of services. Three domestic carriers- IndiGo, SpiceJet and AirAsia India-had earlier approached the officials with the ‘zero bag’ fare offering discount to those who opt for no check-in luggage. The aviation regulator, however, at that time rejected the plea after the Civil Aviation Ministry asked it not to allow such a proposal.

This is a very welcoming move and The Logical Indian Community appreciates this passenger friendly move from people concerned. This will also encourage passengers to highlight only necessary items in their checklist in order to avail this waiver which will make their journey a more pleasing and happier experience.

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Be A True Ally To The Women In Your Life #ShareTheLoad

Women empowerment is one of the most important words of the present times. It is not a mere phrase but it rather represents a movement, which has been pending for the longest time. However, many have a misconception that educating women, “letting” them work, etc. is all that women empowerment is all about. However, the concept of women empowerment is more of an umbrella term. It intends to involve society as a whole, including men.

We always encourage and applaud a woman who successfully balances both work life and her household. But won’t it be easy for that woman if the load of the work is shared? We see that in our society a woman’s primary role is seen as that of a homemaker. At the same time, her personal likes, aspirations, and dreams are forced to be put on the backburner because of the undue expectation that she has to single handedly manage the household while balancing her career. To give credit where it is due, the times are changing. Men and women of the house are increasingly sharing the workload. However, one can also not turn a blind to the fact that a lot more still needs to be done.

Driving home the same concept, popular brand Ariel has come up with brilliant communication.

The video shows a mother speaking to her married daughter over the phone, all whilst cleaning the mess her son has created. She is absolutely heartbroken when her daughter says that she plans to quit her job since juggling both a demanding job and her household has become too overwhelming. It is during this time that she realises that while she and her husband as parents left no stone unturned to give an all-round upbringing to their daughter, they somewhere forgot to teach their son some basic life skills like cooking and doing laundry so that they grow out to be equally responsible in doing household chores. This is not a story of just one family, but of families across the country. These are some things which everyone must know, not for any other reason, but simply because these are basic tasks which are absolutely essential to survive. And, they make you capable to be equal partners tomorrow!

As Ariel raises an important question-is household work only a woman’s job? We need to ask ourselves the same question. A recent study revealed that the unpaid work done by women around the world amounted to 43 times the annual turnover of Apple Inc. It is high time we share the load and change the narrative that household work is the “duty” of a woman. As the video shows, contributing to the household work is not only a daughter’s work, but the son must contribute his bit too. It is also important for the parents to instil a sense of responsibility in their children, irrespective of their gender so that at any juncture of their lives, they are not completely dependent on another person for basic tasks like these. Ariel has been consistently driving this message and addressing the inequality within households since 2015. The Logical Indian applauds Ariel for coming up with such a brilliant video for depicting such an important concept.